While There's Still Something Left

The Beginning of the End

Peter paced outside of Stark Industries, a thin sheen of sweat starting to cover his skin. It was nearing the thirty minute mark since he'd shown up, and the sun was only intensifying the heat radiating from his anxiety ridden body. He pulled at the string on his old uniform jacket.

May was gone.

It had been three days. It felt like both the longest and shortest three days of his life. Time had just blended together into a muddled haze of worry and unspoken regrets. After calling the police and giving his statement, he stealthily left the apartment, knowing that they would call social services. It's not like he had anywhere to go, and he refused to go live with someone he didn't know while his Aunt was who knows where. He couldn't go home, and he couldn't go to school, so he hadn't really eaten or slept. Not that he thought he would be able to anyway. Ned made him crash for a few hours at his place after they made their plan the night before, but he didn't really want to stay there any longer than he had to. He already got one person he cared about kidnapped, he didn't need Ned targeted next.

Peter hated that it came to this. He never wanted anyone to know his real identity. The night Mr. Stark found Peter patrolling and asked if he would aid him in Germany, he agreed, under the condition that he not have to disclose his identity. He was sure that if Mr. Stark wanted to know, he could find out whether Peter told him or not, but he trusted the man enough not to go behind his back. So Peter kept on his mask.

Now he didn't have a choice. He could go to Mr. Stark and tell him what happened as civvie Peter Parker, but Mr. Stark wouldn't take it seriously. People get kidnapped everyday. It's unfortunate and tragic, but it wasn't his jurisdiction. It's not every day that a super hero's family gets taken though. There could be any number of reasons behind the attack, and for all he knew, May could be the first of many that gets taken. If he didn't warn Mr. Stark, which one of their loved ones would be taken next? There was too much at stake to keep it a secret.

Somehow, it felt like in telling Mr. Stark, he was giving up Spider-Man. Mr. Stark hadn't contacted him even once since Germany, despite him trying valiantly to get his attention. Happy wasn't thrilled about it, and Peter wasn't exactly proud of his desperation, but he knew he could do more if they would only let him. He could make a difference, but once Mr. Stark knew his identity, if his age wasn't enough to make Mr. Stark ban him from future missions and take his suit back, the fact he was targeted would.

Peter tried to find May on his own, looking into that weird octopus symbol on the floor and getting Ned to hack into the security cameras around their apartments, but they were all clean. Wiped, actually, which felt worse. Whoever he was dealing with was smart. He didn't have anything else to go on and each day that he waited was another day May could be getting tortured, if the blood they left behind was any indication. The worst part was that May didn't know anything. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn't be able to give them what they wanted , and it was all his fault.

It was that thought that finally pushed him to start what he came here to do. He took a seat on a bench by the bright flower bed near the entrance, opened his laptop and pulled out a flash drive. Within a minute, he was able to scan the fake ID badge he and Ned made, giving himself access to all floors. He sighed in relief. If even one of the numbers had been off, the badge wouldn't have worked. Peter scoffed, deprecatingly. This was supposed to be the easy part. He tried not to think about that.

Peter connected his phone and the computer, tilting the screen down to avoid anyone else seeing what he was doing, and put in his earpiece.

"Ned, you there?" He whispered.

"Yeah, here. Did you fix the cameras?" Peter heard Ned chewing on what was probably Cheese Balls. What he wouldn't give to be the man in the chair right now.